The present invention relates to novel glyphosate oxime derivatives with herbicidal properties and to a process by which these derivatives may be obtained.
The discovery of the herbicidal properties of "glyphosate", the full chemical name of which is N-phosphonomethylglycine, has given rise to the discovery of a series of related derivatives with herbicidal properties. The basic patent in this area is U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,758 which discloses salts, esters and amides of glyphosate. Other patents including U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,505 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,689 have described the aryl esters and still others, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,695, have claimed glyphosate derivatives with trifluoroacetyl substituents. There has however been no examination of the oxime ester derivatives of glyphosate since a a suitable process by which such compounds could be made has not previously been defined. The present invention provides such a process and the novel compounds made thereby have been found to exhibit herbicidal activity.